The present invention relates to an improved head cleaner which provides effective cleaning action while reducing friction between the head cleaner and the head being cleaned.
A wide variety of head cleaners have been used in the past. For example, Ogawa U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,241, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses one effective cleaning tape. This cleaning tape utilizes a combination of ridged surfaces and adhesive to clean a tape head and to trap debris removed from the tap head on the adhesive.
Although the Ogawa cleaning tape has been found effective in operation, it can exhibit drawbacks in certain applications. For example, with certain video cassette recorders, the relatively high friction between the Ogawa cleaning tape and the tape drum of the recorder can cause excessive loads to be applied to the tape head drive mechanism of the recorder.